The Maroons will remain in Chicago this weekend and look to continue their UAA dominance when they play their final two home games of the season. With a conference record of 7–2, the squad remains tied for the top seed with rival Washington University whom they will play in the regular season finale. And with an overall mark of 14–6, the team is undoubtedly in the hunt to reach the NCAA tournament which commences next month. This weekend, the Maroons will face off with Rochester and Emory at the Ratner Athletics Center before hitting the road for their final three UAA games.
On Friday night, Chicago will take on a formidable Rochester squad that has posted an impressive 6–3 record in conference play this year. When the teams faced each other earlier this season in New York, the Maroons were able to defeat the Yellow Jackets by a score of 77–61. In that game, the Maroons relied on strong guard play from first-year Miranda Burt and second-year Elizabeth Nye who recorded 18 and 14 points respectively. This time around the team will be looking for more of the same, but will also focus on being more consistent on both ends of the floor.
“Since we are getting toward the end of the season we need to be playing our best basketball for 40 straight minutes,” said fourth-year guard Stephanie Anderson. “We can’t expect to beat good teams if we don’t do that. All of the teams that we will play from here on out, including Rochester and Emory this weekend, will punish us if we don’t.”
On Sunday, Chicago will face the Emory Eagles in their final home game. The occasion also marks Senior Night, and the Maroons will be honoring a trio of fourth-year players for their commitment to the program: Anderson, Britta Nordstrom and Michelle Dobbs. Emory comes into the game hoping to snap a two-game losing streak and spoil the Chicago celebration. They are certainly capable of just that since earlier this year the Eagles defeated the Maroons 74–71 after a gritty comeback in the final minutes. Nordstrom recorded a strong individual performance in the game with 17 points and four assists. But, the Chicago attack floundered in the final quarter as the team was outscored 22–13 in that period. Come Sunday, the team will look to keep their collective foot on the gas pedal to build a lead and then maintain it throughout the contest.
Anderson conveyed the team’s excitement, saying, “We are very confident about our chances this weekend. The entire squad is excited to play hard and also honor the fourth-years for their commitment to our team. As a senior player, it will be bitter sweet to play my final game at Ratner after four long and rewarding years.”
Chicago takes on Rochester this Friday at 6pm CT at the Ratner Athletics Center. Then on Sunday, Chicago will host Emory at 2pm CT for the Senior Night game. The Maroons are hoping to earn a pair of victories and retain their top spot in the UAA.
